Monterey County wine tasting rooms: The complete Carmel Valley trail.

The first ever comprehensive Monterey County wine tasting room guide is now available wherever you find the Weekly.

This week it exclusively appears at 890 Weekly distribution points around Monterey County.

A large amount of the now 54 tasting rooms—21, to be precise, with another on the way—set up in Carmel Valley, with 19 within just a few blocks.

Here's a look at the rundown, in alphabetical order. Get a map at right and in the glossy magazine. (For a look at River Road wine trail jump over to the blog. The roughly 20 Carmel-by-the-Sea tasting rooms are featured there too.)

The key: + = another tasting room on River Road, E = estate wines, C = wine club, F = food available beyond bread or crackers

Bernardus Winery E C

5 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 298-8021 • www.bernardus.com

11am-5pm daily • $12-$20/tasting;

$18-$100/bottle

A 2014 remodel gives the central spot a second bar with four stools and a swanky new lounge, private dinner space with boar heads on the wall, a classy wood table and couch seating. Even with the new space, the best upgrade came to the sandy patio accented by outdoor couches, bugambilia climbing the walls and a white oak soaring above. The base tasting and premium tasting include four wines each, like the can’t-miss flagship Marinus Bordeaux blend (on both), pairing nicely with pictures from its vineyard on the wall. (If you can talk them into sharing off-menu wines, the Pisoni Pinot is a beautiful thing. You might just have to buy a bottle.)

Boekenoogen Vineyards & Winery E C

24 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-4215 • www.boekenoogenwines.com

11am-5pm daily • $8-$10/tasting;

$28-$65/bottle

A wide two-room tasting space in the middle of the village’s booming wine scene includes wine racks, a big, rustic, seven-person wood tasting bar and a few tall four tops. Better yet, it opens onto a sunny patio that can seat 30. The Chards and Pinots star across five or seven tastes selected by the guest from a nice list of 10 estate-grown, single-grape goodies. The Wine Enthusiast 94 pointer 2011 Estate Pinot is a keeper.

Boëté E C

7156 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel

(831) 625-5040 • www.boetewinery.com

Noon-5pm daily • $10/tasting;

$30-$50/bottle

Nestled between the popular Baja Cantina and breakfast institution The Wagon Wheel, with a relatively new barrel-accented patio, is Böeté’s modest space and sturdy bar. The completely family-run operation grows its big-bodied red grapes down Carmel Valley Road. Tastings include five estate wines that deservedly earn descriptors like big, round and smooth. The Cabernet Franc, arguably the best in the county, is mandatory, while the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and Cheval Rouge blend are noteworthy too.

Chateau Sinnet Winery C

13746 Center St., Carmel Valley

(831) 659-2244 • www.chateausinnet.com

Noon-6pm daily • $7.50/tasting;

$15-$95/bottle

Chateau Sinnet is a different species of tasting room. Simian sculpture and other monkey art occupy the top of the fridge—and the label of the flagship The Red Eyed Monkey.Dozens of hot sauces fill shelves in the second room, along with jewelry and collectibles, and funky mirrors and garish couches give a third back room a bizarre charm. The real outlier though, is the amount of sweet wines, including fruit wines like the peach Monet with honey, plum Matisse and an almond “Champagne” that sells out every year. The tasting runs through seven classic red varietals as well as the more exotic and saccharine creations.

Chåteau Julien Wine Estate E C

8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 624-2600 • www.chateaujulien.com

8am-5pm Mon-Fri; Sat-Sun 11am-5pm

$15/tasting; $7-$7,000/bottle

With the dramatic French countryside turrets, swooping eaves and scenic sunrooms, plus the vineyard and the expansive barrel room and the fermentation machinery, the grounds of Château Julien make it worth a stop just for a tour. Free daily tours happen 12:30pm and 2:30pm and by reservation (private tours at a range of tasting/eating packages and prices also happen by reservation). The tasting space sits beneath soaring ceilings in the Great Hall, with wines including two whites, three reds and a dessert wine. The estate Merlot is the signature.

Chesebro Wines E C

19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-2125 • www.chesebrowines.com

1-6pm Thu-Fri; noon-6pm Sat-Sun and by appointment • $10/tasting;

$16-$25/bottle

A surprisingly spacious, peaked-ceiling space in the middle of the thickest strip of tasting rooms in Central California is built around an L-shaped, tin-and-cypress wood bar with art from nine different artists. On the Weekly’s visit, that included the artist pouring seven wines for the tasting (three whites and four reds). The sequence brightens nicely with unusual and diverse whites (like the Carmel Valley Roussane), the Pinot and the Las Arenas blend of Grenache and Syrah, all sourced from ranches owned by winemaker Mark Chesebro—whose longtime industry sensibilities make his pricing the best value in the village, in step with his mantra “remarkable wines every night.”

Chock Rock Vineyard & Tasting Room E C F

1 Del Fino Place, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-7625 • www.chockrockvineyard.com

11:30am-5pm Thu-Sun; 1pm-5pm Mon

$8-$16/tasting, $24-$45/bottle

A naturally-lit setting—including big windows, a long L-bar, community tables and a cement patio—helps illuminate the big personalities and big flavors from winemaker Dan Karlsen and his team-oriented family. Karlsen’s a local legend with a penchant for Chard and Pinot who still does Talbott’s juice. A tasting includes eight tastes (with a half flight available too) of usually 100-case batches that move from a surprisingly soft Riesling to a dynamic estate 2012 Pinot to the surprise of the lineup: a cold climate Syrah that, as Rob Karlsen puts it, “tastes like a Pinot on steroids,” with zero tannins and impressive smoothness. A four-cheese plate goes for $10.

Cima Collina E C F

19A E. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 620-0645 • www.cimacollina.com

Noon-7pm daily, until 6pm Oct-June

$5-$10/tasting; $17-$48/bottle

A beautifully repurposed milk barn plays host to the mom-and-pop production—Annette Hoff does the winemaking, Doug Danzer the organizational action—that is Cima Collina, and houses a 7-person tasting bar next to a big, charming patio under a bigger white oak. It’s a delicious dealer’s choice of four or eight tastes from 13 wines including whites, Pinot Noirs (4), red blends (2) and dessert wines. The smaller-plot Pinots and the spicy Tondre Grapefield Pinots are tastes to earmark, but there are lots of other Pinot Blanc and SPCA-benefiting “Howlin’ Good Red” blends to enjoy.

Cowgirl Winery E F C

25 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 298-7030 • www.cowgirlwinery.com

11:30am-5pm Sun-Thu; 11:30am-6pm Fri-Sat $13/tasting; $19-$32/bottle

One of the newer tasting “rooms” is also one of the most beautiful and memorable. It stars a modern reclaimed-materials “barn” full of charm and cowboy boots on a corner of a huge property surrounded with grape vines, a chicken coop, outdoor patio party space and a tasting table in the back of an old farm truck. The tasting flights match the easy, stylish feel, arriving in hanging four-glass racks with 2-ounce pours of either the cowgirl flight or estate flight. Pizzas from sister property Corkscrew Cafe provide rare snacks. Also: Donate a pair of boots, get a bottle of wine.

Georis E C F

4 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley • (831) 659-1050

www.georiswine.com

11:30am-6pm Sun-Thu; 11:30am-7pm Fri-Sat $20/tasting; $20-$100/bottle

Designed by Walter Georis, an immigrant with Belgian and German roots, the seductive Spanish adobe space drips with flowers and sounds of fountains, providing a striking setting for their tasting. Whimsical antique furniture and decorations spill over from the interior to the gardens, which are festooned with brightly-colored flags. The tasting room next to the Corkscrew Cafe, which the Georis family also owns, allows for complimentary bread baked next door and a pair of cheeses, free with a flight whether premium, estate or grand. All of the varietals are Bourdeaux; the dry Las Paicines Cab Franc and Les Abeilles Rosé are delicious top sellers made with the same grape. Another winner: the caramel-nose Clos des Moutons Merlot.

Heller Estate Organic Vineyards E C

69 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-6221 • www.hellerestate.com

11am-5pm daily • $10-$15/tasting;

$24-55/bottle

The original organic producer in an eco-conscious area, and one of the precious few even today, hosts one of the oldest and most welcoming tasting rooms in the valley, complete with the most active event calendars, at both the tasting room (including library tastings and winemaker talks) and the Cachagua vineyard (ladybug releases and grape stomps). Gifted winemaker Rich Tanguay’s big reds are popular; the tasting menu highlights them with two tasting options (one with three whites and two reds, the other with six premium reds). Make sure to sip the Petite Syrah and Malbec, designed to, as the motto goes—along with the art on the grounds and in the sculpture garden—“dance on the palate.”

Holman Ranch E C

19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Suite C,

Carmel Valley • (831) 659-2640

www.holmanranch.com

11am-6pm daily • Summer Hours: Memorial Day weekend–Labor Day weekend: Mon–Thu - 11am–6pm, Fri–Sun - 12pm–7pm 

$5-$10/tasting

$18-$45/bottle 

Holman not only does award-winning events (weddings in particular) and estate olive oils, they also lead a special tour through the vineyard, grounds and wine cave complete with wine tasting. The biggest surprise is how far their Pinots have come, as revealed with a relatively new “ultimate Pinot Noir tasting lineup.” It does six different clones with all-estate grapes grown on a dozen plots an average of 2 acres each on the property just up Carmel Valley Road. Heather’s Hill blend of Pinots is a standout, nicely lean and structured. Winemaker Greg Vita’s Old World French style—unafraid of acidity and dryness—serves the soils well. Another bonus: Holman just earned its organic certification from CCOF.

Idle Hour Winery C

9 Del Fino Place, Suite 101, Carmel Valley

(831) 298-7526 • www.idlehourwinery.com

11am-5pm Thu-Sun, until 6pm Fri-Sat

$8/tasting; $22-$36/bottle

New to the Carmel Valley, Idle Hour hides out in a discreet spot between Talbott and Thai Village. Two barrel-and-granite tasting bars provide the playing field to taste six or seven rotating wines from their annual output of more than a dozen wines, from different sustainably tended vineyards located across the state. One interesting design element appears on the walls and the bottles: Tim Cantor’s striking realistic fantasy art. Anna Marie dos Remedios’ focus is on wild yeasts and lots of big reds like Temperanillo and Malbec, including a bright and spicy cherry Heringer Vineyard (Clarksburg) Cab Franc that took a bronze at the 2014 SF Chronicle Wine Competition.

Joullian E C

2 Village Drive, Suite A, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-8100 • www.joullian.com

11am-5pm daily • $10/tasting;

$20-$45/bottle

Located in the Joseph DeMaria building and reminiscent of an old-world stone church, the tasting room is decorated in a French provincial style and features an open layout with salvaged old-growth woodwork. A tasting includes six wines and a fee waived with just a single bottle purchase (which is increasingly rare). The winery’s nine prizes taken in the 2014 SF Chronicle Wine Competition include the Gold Medal Chardonnay and the best in class Sias Cuvee Zinfandel. Winemaker Ridge Watson is as good at articulating the qualities of his wines as he is making them—while rising to meet the lofty motto “serious wines that are fun to drink.”

Joyce Vineyards E C

19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley • (831) 659-2885 • www.joycevineyards.com

11:30am-5:30pm Mon-Sat; noon-5:30pm

Sun • $10/tasting; $15-$55/bottle

Maybe the most striking tasting room in the area code—with custom futuristic metal display racks, a graceful U-shaped bar and deep red color scheme—provides the context for a versatile list covering nine wines. Tasting is a sipper’s choice of seven from them that includes a fruit-forward dry Grenache Rosé, a Tondre Grapefield Syrah and a San Benito Merlot. The Pinots are a strength, and the Tondre Pinot is a good example of the family operation’s handiwork with depth, body and a touch of silk on the tongue.

Mercy Vineyards E C

40 W. Carmel Valley Road, Suite A, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-4321 • www.mercywines.com

11:30am-4:30pm Thu-Sun • $10/tasting; $16-$38/bottle

The quiet, simple and stately place mirrors the motto that also inspired the name (submitting to the elements that make wine great). Here a tasting includes seven wines and a Pinot wine glass, a bonus unique to the county’s tasting rooms. A blonde wood and black matte bar, photos of vineyard rocks, an antique safe, big windows and gracious attention from the winemaking family round out the peaceful experience. Among the Arroyo Seco and South County creations (three whites and four reds) is an estate Sauv Blanc and a double gold winner from the San Francisco Chronicle showdown, a three-way Pinot blend of Griva, Zabala and Cedar Lane grapes.

Marilyn Remark Winery C

19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-5661 • www.remarkwines.com

1-6pm Thu-Sat; noon-6pm Sun • $5/tasting, $25-$45/bottle

The simple but stately room in the former Silvestri space deploys a 15-foot mahogony wood bar, some pictures of the Rhône region, a couch and not much else. The admirable low-tasting fee for seven wines, including single-vineyard grapes sourced from Monterey County, is waived with any purchase, a nice touch. All Rhône varietals here—making this the only exclusive Rhône producer in the area—with highlights ranging from the light, refreshing Marsanne to the flagship Wild Horse Road Grenache.

Parsonage Village Vineyard E C

19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-7322 • www.parsonagewine.com

11am-5pm daily • $10-$20/tasting;

$20-$80/bottle

Giclées of beautiful quilts by the winemaker’s wife hang on the walls and decorate the labels at the simple but comely-tasting space, where the estate Syrahs are a must try, but the tasty red blend called Snosrap goes a lot lighter on the budget. Tastings translate the best of the family-run vineyard, which sits less than a mile down the road, and means three or six tastings, often of wines so small-batch that they run out via the tasting room alone, like the New Grenache Syrah and the brand-new Hawk Reserve full-bodied Pinot with grapes from a neighbor (as far from estate as these guys get). One interesting note: there are discounts if you check-in on Facebook.

Rombi E C

1 Center St., Carmel Valley

(831) 659-7200 • www.rombiwines.com

Noon-6pm Sat-Sun • $4/tasting;

$70-$135/bottle

Salvatore Rombi puts the estate in estate wine by babying his truly tiny vineyard next to his Cachagua home—where he also ferments and bottles. The production numbers are small (150 cases/year), as are the numbers of rows and acres (21, 1.3), but the passion is big, just like the flavors (and price tag) for one of the very best Cabs, if not the best, in the county. His 2008 is a smoky kaleidoscope of flavor; his estate-bottled Merlot is a beauty too. The $4 tasting fee, for wines this good, is a minor miracle.

Talbott Vineyards + E C F

25 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley

(831) 659-3500 • www.talbottvineyards.com

11am-5pm Mon-Thu; 11am-6pm Fri-Sun

$10/tasting; $15/premium tasting;

$20-$75/bottle

Another reinvention is only fitting. Robert Talbott started in fashion (there’s one outpost near the tasting room) then moved onto big successes in wine via star Santa Lucia winemaker Dan Karlsen. Now he’s remade a relocated tasting room into a retro motorcycle museum—with all the same girthy amounts of style. But all the vintage bikes—and sweet patio space, party grounds and fridge with snacks—do not a great tasting experience make. You need great juice like that from the Diamond T vineyard (go Chardonnay or Pinot with similarly satisfying results). The Sleepy Hollow Chard, Sarah Case Chard, Kali Hart Pinot and Logan Pinot are also excellent.

Twisted Roots E C

12 Del Fino Place, Carmel Valley

(831) 594-8282

www.twistedrootsvineyard.com

Noon-5pm Thu-Sun • $8/tasting;

$22-$40/bottle

The 1918 Old Vine Zin is the wine they hang their name on, but there is a lot of depth here, made all the more unique by the fact that these Roots were the first to sink into Carmel Valley tasting room scene without local grapes. Fear not, winemaker Josh Ruiz and his wife Julie live a mile or so from the tasting room, where they spend as much free time as they can on weekends, pouring Chardonnay, Petite Syrah and the flagship old vine 1918 Zinfandel among the six or seven wines in each tasting. The grapes come from Julie’s family ranch in Lodi, part of the proceeds go to ALS Foundation (and have long before the ice-bucket challenge got hot) and the mood in the gallery space shared with Lyons Head Gallery—and on the ample patio—is warm and inviting.